In Sickness
by lizziekiss
Summary: AU: Sesshomaru is the angel of death, can he help kagome find peace so that she can pass on without regrets? or will his cold unfeeling nature stand in his way?


**AN- I dont plan on continuing this, and I am happy with the bittersweet tone this peice has. there are alot of things that carry hidden meanings, refrences to both the show and to myths. if you are wondering about anything let me know and I will be more then happy to answer your questions.**

* * *

The woman who lay in the hospital bed was weak and frail from months and months of an unexplained illness.

The man who came into the room was known as the killing perfection, he was in many ways the angel of death.

Killing was what he was good at, he was cold because he had to be.

* * *

He was wearing white, while it was the sterile white of the hospital, it made him look almost heavenly, his long silver hair was not contained at all and it flowed behind him like a ethereal curtain.

He slipped into the room quietly, this was the moment of truth as he sized up his newest opponent, looking into the face of the person who's life he was going to take this time.

Dull lifeless eyes stared at the doorway as he walked in, they widened in horror for a single second before the woman flipped over onto her other side her voice bitter as she screamed as loud as she could.

"get out! I don't ever want to see you again, have fun with your new fiancee, I hope she catches a cold every time you think of me, you heartless bastard!"

A case of mistaken identity he was sure of it, because he was sure that he had never met this young girl and he was doubly sure he didn't have a fiancee.

"I don't know who you confused with This Sesshomaru, but you are mistaken."

When she rolled over she had enough energy to at least look embarrassed, her breathing was labored from all the shouting she had just done.

"I'm sorry, are you an angel come to take me away from this miserable life?"

Tears of joy ran down her cheeks, and she didn't bother to wipe them away, a smile broke out on her face and the cold hearted man had to admit, she was so much prettier when she smiled.

He was indeed going to be her angel, but not today.

"I will take you soon, but not today, you have much to do woman."

She sighed closing her eyes, she was so tired, her hand reached out for him on instinct, and without thinking about it he slipped into the chair next to her bed and took her hand in his, her tiny and thin fingers ice cold against his warm hands.

"will you stay until I fall asleep? I don't want to be alone again."

He didn't answer her, simply tightened his grip on her fingers, letting his thumb stroke over her knuckles.

* * *

He was still there when she woke up, she struggled from the bed and he watched as she fell to the ground and crawled on her hands and knees to the bathroom.

He took note of how frail she was, such a tiny woman, even healthy she would have been rather petite, but wasted away like this she was little more then flesh and bones. While she moved towards the bathroom door he imagined what she might have looked like before she got sick, she must have been beautiful with her long legs and slender build.

When she emerged a little while later freshly bathed, she had mustered up enough energy to walk a bit unsteadily on her own two feet, and with the robe wrapped around her, Sesshomaru could imagine what she must have looked like full of life. He chased away his thoughts for a moment before he asked his first dreaded question.

"do you know why you are here?"

In a move that might have been erotic under other circumstances she undid the belt of her robe letting it fall open, his eyes only glanced at the pristine white undergarments she wore before he really noticed how thin she was. He could count all of her ribs, she was so thin he thought he might be able to see her intestines if she lost any more weight. Her fingers brushed over one of her hip bones, drawing his attention to the odd shaped scar on her lower abdomen.

"the Shikon Jewel lies within my flesh. They tried to take it out when I was young so I could live a normal life, but the jewel forced itself back into my body."

To illustrate her point she tapped the direct center of the scar and her skin there began to glow, the jewel seen easily underneath her near transparent skin. She took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Because I'm a Miko, and because I'm the Miko of the Shikon Jewel, I cant die naturally. I've been wasting away for who knows how long, that's why I'm here, when you are ready you will kill me and take me away from all this pain and misery."

She smiled again, and Sesshomaru swore that her eyes were trying to tell him something that her mouth refused to.

* * *

He was kind to her those first few days, he didn't talk about how sick she was.

In reality he didn't talk much at all, for the most part he only held her hand while she slept.

He wondered if he could have found someone to show him her dreams, but there was something about her that made him want to keep her to himself. He wanted to handle her on his own.

Her death would be by his doing, when he thought she was ready and not a moment sooner.

* * *

She woke one morning to find her angel absent from his usual place next to her bed, she couldn't help but be a bit sad that he was gone, she had gotten used to having him there with her all the time.

She noticed that she was thirsty, next to her bed on the nightstand there was a glass of ice water, and for several long moments she watched the sweat bead up on the outside, the condensation began to trail along the side of the glass in sweaty rivulets, and never before had she ever been so thirsty.

Her hand shook as she reached for the glass, it was so heavy to her that she nearly dropped it, she had to hold it with both hands as she brought it to her dry lips taking a small sip. Her eyes fluttered closed in appreciation as the frigid water trailed down her throat, seeming to cool her entire body.

The one tiny sip only quenched her thirst for a second, soon enough she was gulping down the water as fast as she could drink it, she drank like she was afraid to be caught enjoying it. When the water was gone she placed the glass with the ice still in it on the nightstand and sat back with a contented smile on her face.

Her joy was not long lasted, soon enough her stomach began to riot due to the large amount of cold water she consumed after so many weeks of not taking anything at all in.

She leaned over the side of the bed and began to heave, her loud retching seemed to echo in the small room as her stomach emptied all of the once soothing water.

She didn't know how long she had been heaving, but before she knew it cool hands found their way to the back of her neck as her angel pulled her hair back for her.

She was crying by the time she was done, and she laid back heavily against the pillows. Her eyes were clenched tightly shut as she whispered.

"I was just so thirsty, I had to drink the water."

Sesshomaru sat on the edge of the bed, as he tried to comfort her. Nothing seemed to work, she kept muttering about how thirsty she was. He reached out with one pale slender hand, his long fingers dipping into the glass on the nightstand to pluck out a single ice cube as he pressed it to her lips.

Her eyes flew open as he ran the quickly melting ice cube against her lower lip, slowly she opened her mouth as just what he was doing dawned on her. Her pink tongue extended ever so slightly as he let the water dripping from the ice cube trail into her mouth and down her throat to quench her thirst.

He continued to feed her the ice cubes until the glass was empty, then he asked another question.

"why were you sent here?"

She turned her head away from him, her eyes fixed on the closed window and refused to answer. It felt childish to sit and pout, but she didn't think anyone needed to know how she had shamed her self by being sent here.

* * *

When she woke Sesshomaru was still sitting on the edge of her bed, he was watching her like he was still expecting an answer. She didn't understand why he wanted to know so badly, but because he had been so nice to her she spoke.

"my mother sent me here, her and my grandfather agreed that I had given up on life, my little brother didn't want me to go, but they sent me because it wasn't right for him to see his big sister turn into a walking corpse."

Sesshomaru didn't ask her anything, all he did was keep looking at her with the same look on his face, and she was compelled to keep speaking.

She told him about growing up at the shrine, talked about how she was fifteen when she found out she was a Miko, she smiled softly as she reminisced about her Miko training, and how proud her grandfather was that they would finally have a real shrine maiden.

She fell asleep with a fond smile on her face, and Sesshomaru knew she was one step closer to finding her end.

He would never say it, but he thought he might miss this little woman. What he did know was that her super expressive eyes would haunt him, eyes full of secrets that her mouth would never speak.

* * *

Sesshomaru was looking at her photo album one morning when she woke, he was looking at a picture of her at the beach, her bathing suit had been modest, but even he could see how she had once looked. So vibrant and full of life, with silky black hair and bright blue eyes. His eyes roamed over the massive expanses of sun kissed flesh that had been exposed to the camera, she was posing in that picture, he assumed that her lover had taken the picture by the way she seemed to be sharing a private look with the camera. Her voice broke into his thoughts.

"I used to love the beach, I kept hoping that I would get to feel the warm sand under my feet one last time before I died, but this place is miles away from the coast."

Without a word the stoic man dropped the photo album onto the table and walked out. Kagome could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as the only person she had spoken to in so long just walked out, she rolled over with her back to the door and let her thoughts wander while she hoped for sleep to take her once more. As she fell asleep she couldn't help but wonder if something she said had made Sesshomaru upset.

* * *

She woke up to Sesshomaru's hands pulling her from the bed, he handled her carefully, like she was some precious treasure. She knew that it was because her body was so incredibly fragile, but for a few moments she pretended that the way he carried her bridal style cradled to his chest was because he loved her.

She laid her head on his shoulder, content to pretend that she was loved for the few moments that she had, and more then ever she missed having someone in her life.

The halls of the pseudo medical facility were barren as he carried her outside, he adjusted the way he held her so that he could pull a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and hand them to her before he carried her out the large double doors.

She was thankful for the dark shades because the sun was so startling bright, even with the sunglasses on it still took her several minuets to become used to the harsh light, by the time she could see she realized that Sesshomaru was no longer walking and she looked around.

They were at a children's playground, and Sesshomaru was standing next to the sand box, all around it were heat lamps, and Kagome was confused for several moments before Sesshomaru set her on the edge and pulled her slippers off her feet.

When her bare feet hit the warm sand she suddenly understood. Tears sprang to her eyes as she dug her tiny toes into the heated sand, relishing the feeling.

"Sesshomaru, are you really going to end my life?"

The cold demon didn't answer for several moments, but when he did it seemed like the whole world stopped to listen to him.

"yes, Eventually this Sesshomaru will end your life."

In a sad karmic turn of events Kagome had become seemingly immortal, demons were like that, they couldn't die of old age, they would simply waste away, becoming easy to kill. Many were sent here to live out their final days, when they would make their peace, he would kill them. It was honorable, he was the 'killing perfection' after all, doing this was his birthright. Had he been born hundreds of years ago he would have been a ruling lord, killing all that stood in his way, weeding out the weak, and killing enough to cull their numbers. Modern laws made killing frowned upon normally, he was the exception, he gave death to those who would suffer otherwise. Killing those who could stay for hundreds of years as nothing more then a walking skeleton.

Kagome nodded as she looked at her now buried feet, her tears once more flowed freely as she thought about her life, she looked up into Sesshomaru's waiting face and realized that he once more carried that expectant look, while his face was blank it was like his eyes begged her to speak.

"its funny, when I was young I was always so happy, I always felt like nothing could stop me, my whole world crumbled when my father died. I got sick a year later, they tried all kinds of things, that's when they found the Shikon jewel inside of me. They removed it thinking that it was making me sick."

Her frail hand reached out for Sesshomaru and before she had time to blink he had moved to sit next to her, his large hand enclosing over her much smaller one.

"I woke from the surgery and I felt like I was empty, so achingly empty, but I could feel the jewel calling to me, it was like pulsing, like it was my heart. The doctors all tell different stories but I wanted to feel complete again and the jewel flew back to me embedding itself back into my body, and I felt whole again. I felt like my life had purpose."

She closed her eyes for several seconds content to enjoy the feeling of the warm sand and the warm body next to hers. Her voice was soft as she spoke again.

"when I fell in love, that feeling came back, the feeling of being invincible, like I could fly, or take on the world, everything was beautiful. My lover was a heartbreaker thought, I should have known it would end badly when I found out that he was still hung up on his ex, she had been his first love, I met him when I was just finishing my Miko training. He was a half demon, but he was so human, I couldn't help but fall in love with him. He never told me what happened to his first love, I finally found out when I found him crying at her grave, she had been killed trying to protect him. Sadly some vile woman brought Kikyo back from the dead with clay and graveyard soil, the poor woman was an abomination, no better the a zombie."

Kagome's eyes began to droop as she started to get tired, she smiled softly as Sesshomaru lifted her in his arms once again to take her back to her room. He set her down in her bed and she clutched to him as tightly as her weak arms could.

"lay with me until I fall asleep, please?"

The demon didn't move for a few moments, he was not a man to cuddle and hold poor crying women, but for this woman, he let her clutch onto him until her arms went slack with sleep.

* * *

She said she had nothing to live for.

He agreed.

* * *

She spoke suddenly one morning, as she sucked on an ice cube.

"do you think I did the right thing?"

Sesshomaru had no idea what she was talking about, he simply arched a single elegant brow waiting for her to explain.

"I wanted to let Kikyo find her eternal peace, I saw her once, and she asked me to take her back to her grave, she wanted to die, she didn't want to roam the earth trying to harm those around her. So I took her back to her grave, and as the soil started to swallow her up, I couldn't do it, I didn't want her to die when she had so much to live for, I wanted her to live just as much as she did. Before I knew what I was doing I had pulled her from the grave and called up the powers of the jewel to restore her to her former glory. I made her whole again."

Sesshomaru stared at fragile woman, nearly shocked, he wondered if she really had given someone a new life. That slender eyebrow arched up again with his silent question.

"I wouldn't be able to without the jewel, but with the power of the jewel, I gave her a life again, a real body made of flesh and blood. I got sick a little while after that, I always wondered if I had actually given her my life. For the most part it seemed that as she was blooming and coming to life, I was deteriorating."

His words were soft, but she heard them clearly in the quiet room.

"you had no reason to live anymore."

Kagome mustered up enough strength to throw the glass of ice against the wall before she laid down again with her back to Sesshomaru, as she cried herself to sleep again.

* * *

For several days each time Kagome would wake up, she would open her eyes and find herself looking into a pair of intense amber orbs. She had been surprised the first time, but each time after that she felt more and more worn down, she knew he was expecting the rest of the story, or at least an explanation of why she was so upset. She just could not bring herself to speak at all. Eventually he wore her down, his persistence had won out, and secretly she was glad he hadn't given up on her.

"I got sick, and it seemed like it was worse every day, I was too tired to do anything, at first he tried to take care of me, but eventually I was just a disappointment. He eventually became distant, he didn't care when the wolf came to visit, in a weird way he seemed to encourage it. I didn't get his love anymore, that's when I began to think that he was seeing Kikyo, and it was almost like the more love he took away from me and gave to her the sicker I became."

Kagome was too ashamed to even look at Sesshomaru, she turned to the closed window, staring at the heavy curtains as she began to speak again.

"one day I realized that I couldn't get out of bed on my own, everyone around me was suffering because of how sick I was. That was the day he told me he asked Kikyo to marry him, he asked for my forgiveness. I should have known that even if she were still dead, he would have never loved me as much as he loved her, she is his soul mate. I should feel proud of myself, I made him complete again when I gave her back her life. Instead I felt like I had nothing left to live for."

Sesshomaru watched her for what seemed like hours, he wondered if she could forgive the man she loved, and if she did would she be ready to move on? He did not want to hear the answer but he asked anyways.

"do you forgive him now?"

Her eyes were blank as she stared at him thinking over her answer, she blinked slowly several times before she decided not to answer, letting the cool comforts of sleep take her.

Sesshomaru threw open the heavy curtains, letting the sunshine stream into the now open window, he wanted her answers, and he was becoming impatient waiting for them, he would not let her hide in the darkness anymore.

* * *

He watched her as she tossed fitfully in her sleep, her body twitching as she slept, eventually she woke panting, her whole body heaving before she turned to the window. Instead of finding the heavy curtain, she instead was looking at the night sky thought the window. Surprisingly enough she found herself missing the stars.

It took her what seemed like an eternity, but she eventually worked her way to the window, pressing her forehead against the cool glass.

She whispered to the night, she told her secrets to the stars, there was one last thing that Sesshomaru heard before she climbed back into bed.

"I forgive you Inuyasha."

His half brother had been the one to steal this young woman's heart, even thought the Hanyou didn't deserve it, he would relay Kagome's forgiveness, there was no reason why the Hanyou should feel guilty over Kagome's eventual death, Inuyasha would be able to move on with his life knowing that Kagome had been able to pass on without hating him.

* * *

It was a cold afternoon when Inuyasha showed up, his older brother was silent as always as they made their way to Kagome's room, Inuyasha paused the fingers of his right hand toying with the ring on his left, and softly Sesshomaru spoke.

"does Kagome know?"

Inuyasha had married Kikyo, the ring on his finger was proof of that, his eyes were full of regret as he looked to his older brother for strength.

"tell her so that she may find her peace."

Sesshomaru looked on quietly as his younger brother made his way into Kagome's room to sit on the edge of her bed, he didn't want to peer into such an intimate moment so he sat outside the door, doing what he had to, he waited.

* * *

When Inuyasha left, Sesshomaru slipped into the room, his footsteps silent as he moved to take the seat his brother had warmed only moments ago.

"Sesshomaru, I forgave him, I feel happy, I let him know true love again by bringing Kikyo back. I think I can go in peace now."

He didn't speak, she didn't know it yet but there were still a few more things she had to do before she was ready for the next life.

"I was hoping, that for once before I die-"

She trailed off as she struggled to push herself up in the bed, putting her weight against Sesshomaru's chest causing him to lay back against the pillows.

"I would like to feel loved, just once before I die."

Her lips against his were temptingly soft, as she pulled away her breath fanned over his face. He understood what she wanted, but not now, not like this, he refused it.

With a natural ease he stood from the bed, laying her gently upon the mattress before pulling the covers to her chin so she wouldn't feel the bitter bite of the cold, there was something warm held in his eyes as he tucked her in. something that soothed her despite his rejection.

She fell asleep with a soft smile on her pale lips.

* * *

She woke when the moon was high in the sky, her room was dark, but instantly her eyes sought out her angel. So pristine dressed in white standing there so deathly still while his golden eyes nearly set her skin on fire.

He knew this was wrong, but he wanted to make sure that she died peacefully, never before had he desired to make someone's last wishes come true, but he could not deny Kagome. Her heart was still pure, even now, long after she had fallen defeated to this un named illness.

He wanted to see her eyes sparkle, if only for a single moment before he took her life. He needed to know that she would pass onto the next life without any regrets.

She smiled as he presented her with a handful of flowers, flowers that seemed to glow just like her blindingly pure aura did.

"Will you love me tonight?"

He could not deny this beautiful woman, and he refused to regret her after she was gone, so he would have her, at least this once. For one night they would both feel whole, and loved.

"for tonight."

They needed no more words, so he spoke none, he only had a single night so he made the most of it. This woman, this Miko, Kagome- she was untouched, and pure, and for a single night Sesshomaru loved her. As his body moved with hers, two lovers held in a dance as old as time, he felt no regrets, for the first time in his long life he took comfort from another.

He worshipped her fragile body, and as her body sang, her heart beat just for him. She soothed his soul, calming the demon within that seemed to hunger for blood and death. He found that maybe his heart beat for her as well, for this single night.

* * *

The next morning Sesshomaru woke to the smell of toaster waffles, and he slowly sat up, blinking the confusion from his eyes as he looked at Kagome. She was sitting in his usual chair, a plate of waffles in her lap and a single flower from the bunch he gave her the night before was tucked behind one of her ears.

She held out a waffle to him and giggled.

"I was so hungry I made the whole box of waffles, but I cant even finish one!"

She giggled again as his long fingers reached to take the waffle, and for a second he swore that there was a light in her eyes, that they shone for a few seconds with some sort of sparkle.

He would never regret loving her for that night, because he had made her eyes sparkle just for him.

* * *

It was strange, Kagome had somehow seemed to find a voracious appetite, long gone were the days he would feed her ice cubes, or small spoonfuls of tea.

Sometimes he would watch as she huffed and puffed, struggling to find her way to the small kitchenette, her face contorted with pain as she struggled to ease the ache that her hunger caused.

He did not feel sorry for her, in fact he thought it was better, she felt the pain more vibrantly now, before when she slept all the time, all she felt was the soothing numbness of sleep, tears cascaded down her cheeks as she struggled weakly with the most meager of tasks.

"you must finish making peace so I may rid you of this misery."

She had smiled at him, it was strange how much she was looking forward to her own death, she struggled to move, struggled to stay awake only so that she could prove to herself that she could still feel the pain.

She found herself thinking of him even when he wasn't there, she knew he was an angel, she would find her nirvana and he would provide her with redemption.

* * *

He should have taken her life weeks ago, that much was an undeniable fact.

He didn't know what compelled him to hold onto her for just a little bit longer. It was almost like he wanted to give her a reason to live, like he wanted to breathe life into her deathly form.

There were myths about death, if you could bribe death himself, or trick him, or even harder- outwit death, you could retain your life. Had this young Miko bewitched him so badly that she should be able to keep her life?

What ever the woman had done, he was selfishly holding tight to her for a few moments longer, he wanted to keep her.

If he could be honest with himself he might say that she had become his reason to live. Without her he would have nothing left to live for, and to be honest, there was no one who would take his life when he refused to live.

* * *

It takes a long time, but one day while she is quietly nibbling on a slice of toast her curiosity gets the better of her.

"Sesshomaru, why haven't you taken my life yet?"

He has no answer, there simply is no way to even begin to explain.

"I'm ready to die Sesshomaru, bring me my death!"

He took a long look at the woman before him as she begged him to take her away from this never ending pain. Slowly that sparkle was coming back to her eyes, and slower still she was beginning to look human again. Why could she not see that her fate was not to die by his hands? Somehow during the time she had been here she had found a new will to live.

Her screams invaded his silent thinking.

"I am only alive because of this blasted jewel!"

He watched as the pink glow of her Miko powers began to form around her body, and as her anger at him grew she levitated off of the bed, her holy powers buffeting his senses, flaring cruelly against his Yokai.

"One week wench, you will decide then if you want to die."

She crumpled defeated to the bed, and for the first time she wondered, did she have a reason to live?

* * *

Every day for that week he plays the part, for that time he is the angel of death.

He waits patently beside her bed night and day, waiting for her time to meet her own afterlife. Each minuet that passes by draws him further away from her. Weeks and months ago he had patently held her hand while she spoke of her life, now however all he did was stare at her.

His constant gaze was unwavering, no matter where she moved he kept his eyes trained on her, wide unblinking eyes burned with an unreadable emotion. She found herself matching his stare, finding herself immersed in his molten gaze.

Each time she realized she was staring she felt her heart beat speed up, but it was not out of fear of what this man could do to her. She had once felt safe in his embrace, she still knew him as her angel, but what if he was not the angel of her death?

* * *

With only two hours before his imposed deadline she decides that she wants to memorize his features, she slides closer to him, her bare feet padding softly against the floor. His clawed fingers are beginning to glow green in anticipation of using his poison. she assumes he will use his poison because it is both a quick death and a personal one, he will have to be close to her to kill her with his claws, she will die in his arms.

As she raises her fingers to trace the markings on his face she notices that for the first time in months maybe years her hands don't shake weakly. He is beautiful in a tragic way, only death could manage to always look this good, and for a second her mind flashed with images of him in the throes of passion.

He had given himself so selflessly to her, just so that she could die happily and peacefully.

For a startling second she wonders if her heart beats for him. It does not, it cannot beat only for him, but in a way he has shown her everything that is worth living for.

Love is worth living for. She understands that now more then ever, and as she prepares to take her final breaths she accepts that she had loved her father, had loved Inuyasha, and for a single night she had loved Sesshomaru with every fiber of her being.

He raises his hands, his movements are slow, she realizes that he is preparing to deliver the killing blow.

* * *

Her body yearns to breathe.

Her toes yearn to feel the warm sand again.

Her soul yearns to sing.

Most of all her heart yearns to love again.

Her eyes meet his as he slowly blinks, some emotion swirls in his golden eyes, for a single second she thinks it might be regret, but she sees nothing more as his hands move viciously towards her to make the killing blow.

* * *

The Shikon's power crawls along her skin, she can feel the power burning through her veins.

She always wondered what death would feel like, she never expected it to be this painful.

"Kagome?"

His voice is so soft, nearly broken and Kagome cant help but cry. She wonders if Sesshomaru held her body as her life drained out, it's a romantic notion, but she wants to believe that Sesshomaru is secretly a romantic creature.

Her eyes are closed tightly against the harsh light, so she opens them to look at her afterlife.

* * *

The harsh pink light is the first thing that she sees. Its blinding in its intensity, but as her vision clears she can see her own hands. Slowly she flexes her right hand in front of her face, she looks to her left hand and has a startling realization.

Her frail hand is enclosed over a pale wrist.

Like a curious child she inspects the hand that she is holding, deadly claws are still poised to strike, her pink Miko energies surrounding the green poison.

She blinks several times before she understands what she has just done.

Kagome has somehow managed to stay deaths hand, a smile graces her lips and before she can stop herself she has wrapped her arms around Sesshomaru's neck.

As her energies subside she begins to cry once again, time after time she has cried tears of joy because of this demon, but never before has she been so relieved. He pulls away from her, his face ashen, eyes nearly betraying the shock he felt at the core of his being.

"You wanted to live?"

Her sapphire eyes meet his, full of tears and unspoken promises, and when she speaks she commands his attention.

"I needed to live, you showed me there were still many things in live to live for. You are an angel, but instead of being the angel of my death, you are the angel that gave me life."

He could not keep her, but he would breathe easy knowing that he was not that cause of her death. Her blood was too pure to be spilled by his hands.

"Sesshomaru you have chased death away and breathed life into someone who was dying."

Her smile shone with happiness, and her eyes sparkled, so full of life once again. Gone were the secrets he used to be able to see in her now shining orbs, maybe the secrets her lips always refused to share were her desires to find a reason to live.

His lips crashed down on hers, kissing her eagerly, she had chosen to live and he could simply not express his relief.

That night he would ask her to love him for a single night.

* * *

The next morning while the sun was high in the sky Sesshomaru walked to the front doors of the facility, his fingers laced with Kagome's.

"leave this place Miko."

His words, while seemingly cold and unfeeling relayed the true extend of his compassion.

This place had been his prison for far too long, for more years then he could count he had earned his redemption by helping others to find theirs. Kagome had been the last one, the facility was empty save for the two of them.

"what will you do my angel?"

Her eyes shined as she looked up at him, but deep in her heart she knew.

"it is my turn to find peace Kagome, I will lay down and let death claim me knowing that twice I held the love of a woman who was strong enough to beat death at his own game."

* * *

Kagome left, walking into the blinding sunlight, she had the rest of her life ahead of her.

She would always remember the quiet man, the killing perfection, the one person that gave her back her life, and she would always think fondly of the fact that death himself had redeemed himself by breathing life into her.

* * *

**I might write a second part to this, would anyone want to read it?**


End file.
